We, the 49th “José Martí” European Brigade, made up of 53 friends of Cuba in 13 European countries, have participated in the panel “Latin American and Caribbean solidarity in defense of just causes and for peace”, sponsored by the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) at the “Julio Antonio Mella” International Camp, on Monday 8 July, 2019.

After listening to presentations by representatives of Palestine, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and “Landless Movement” from Brazil, we are more committed to:

• Energetically condemn the ongoing massacres against the Palestinian people.

• Strongly condemn Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip, opposing any settlements and settler’s colonialism in the West Bank.

• Urge the creation of a single State of Palestine, as a Sovereign State, with Jerusalem as its capital.

• Energetically condemn Israel as a terror State, in disrespect of all human rights, committing genocide on the Palestinian people.

• Support the right of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to independence, sovereignty and self-determination, and stand in solidarity with its people and civic-military union, that are facing ongoing US attempts to reverse the true revolutionary process that was initially led by Eternal Comandante Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías in 1999 and has been continued by president Nicolás Maduro Moros. We strongly condemn the blockade imposed by the Trump administration on the country and reject any action and maneuver by the United States and rightist Venezuelan opposition in alliance with foreign hostile forces to destabilize the homeland of Simón Bolívar.

• Support the right of the people of Puerto Rico to independence, sovereignty and self-determination. We also condemn the misinformation and disinformation about the political, economic and social conditions in the island as a Free Associate State and after it was hit by hurricanes “Irma” and “María”, which has forced a large number of its population to leave the country.

• Support the just cause of the Saharawi people in northern Africa and their right to independence, sovereignty and self-determination, and strongly condemn Morocco’s violation of their human rights and attempts to yield the noble, brave men and women of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.

• Demand the immediate release of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, who was unjustly imprisoned one year ago as part of rightist wing or new fascist attempts to cast discredit on progressive leaders and forces in this country and others in Latin America and prevent their return to power. We commit ourselves to participate in actions and demonstrations calling for his freedom as part of the World Campaign “Free Lula”.

• Support Brazil’s Landless Movement in its permanent struggle for land, the agrarian reform and the return of land to its real owners, the landless peasants and farmers all across the country, who have been deprived of their right to it for decades, as well as contact Brazil’s Landless Movement committees in our countries to get to know better its history and ongoing struggle.

Long live the brave peoples of Palestine, Venezuela, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and Brazil!

Free Lula! Long live the struggle for just causes all across the world!

Havana, 20 July 2019

Draft Statement of the Workshop “Necessity of world solidarity with Cuba and against the blockade”

We, the 49th “José Martí” European Brigade, made up of 53 friends of Cuba from 13 European countries, stand in solidarity with the Cuban people on the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution and the 66th anniversary of the attacks on the garrisons “Moncada” and “Carlos Manuel de Céspedes,” which started the rebellion leading to the triumph of 1 January, 1959.

We, brigadistas of the European Brigade 2019, gathered in this historical international camp, moved by our admiration for Cuba’s social system, know that a better world is possible through our experiences of the achievements of the Revolution “of the humble, by the humble and for the humble,” as Commander in Chief Fidel Castro put it. These achievements come despite the unfair and brutal economic, commercial and financial US blockade against the Island, which was recently further tightened by the Trump administration with the enforcement of Chapter III of the Helms Burton Act.

For nearly 60 years the US blockade has been trying unsuccessfully to isolate Cuba and put its people to their knees by hunger, shortages of goods and commodities and lack of international financing.

This policy of genocide was also designed since it was enforced to ban and restrict any exchange between the Island and the rest of the world, with a yearly cost of billions of dollars for Cuba in every single social area.

Since 1993 Cuba’s Draft Resolution Necessity to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States of America against Cuba has been repeatedly voted for at the United Nations General Assembly. Currently the United States and Israel only endorse the policy of blockade against Cuba and vote against Cuba’s draft resolution. The voting outcome shows that such a criminal policy is increasingly rejected by the international community.

For all of us, friends of Cuba in Europe, Cuba remains a beacon in the midst of the currently complex scenario worldwide. Despite the negative impact of the US blockade on Cuba’s public health Cuban medical doctors and other health specialists take their know-how, humanitarianism and assistance to Third World countries. Let us never forget their fight against Ebola in West Africa! Such altruism of the Cuban medicine is currently subject to discredit by the US administration in its attempts to also discredit the Cuban Revolution. We take the occasion to say we stand in solidarity with the Cuban medical doctors who have recently been kidnapped in Africa and their families, and we demand their immediate return.

We, the 49th “José Martí” European Brigade, energetically condemn the continuous, illegal and devastating economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States of America against Cuba, and urge for its immediate lifting. We powerfully reject the enforcement of Chapter III of the Helms-Burton Act, which we are certain is doomed to failure in its attempt to yield the Cuban people, also because of international solidarity.

We brigade members also take this occasion to urge the immediate return of the illegally occupied territory of Guantánamo US naval base, against the will of the Cuban people and government; the end of programs of ideological subversion and destabilization against Cuba; the end of illegal radio and television broadcasting endorsed and orchestrated by the US administration, all of which distort Cuba’s reality and contribute to spread fake news about the Island and other progressive countries.

We call on all progressive forces and decent human beings worldwide who struggle or have come to understand the necessity of a better world to increasingly carry out actions for, and stand in solidarity with, the Cuban people and its Revolution. Cuba has the right to remain an independent, sovereign and self-determined nation, to choose its own destiny, to continue building socialism.

Defending Cuba is defending a social system other than brutal capitalism, imperialism and neoliberalism.

End the US blockade against Cuba!

Return the illegally occupied territory in Guantánamo to Cuba!

Let’s keep united in the face of new escalations of right-wing, fascist forces worldwide!